Olight PL Pro Valkyrie, Holy ****

[Doc1500]

Two days ago I received my
Olight PL Pro Valkyrie 1500 lumins
After charging I took it out to my backyard last night.
The first words out of my mouth were holy ****. At the distance of 20-30 ft to an object , it projects a Very bright circle of about 10 ft wide and the Overflow light lighting an area about 15- 20 ft. Even out to a distance of almost 50 yards the center light portion lights an area 25-30 ft. This is my first pistol light and by far one of the best purchases I've ever made to mount on my pistol.
I mounted it today on my CZ P-09. It does extend about a quarter inch past the muzzle.
It is up against the finger guard and with a slight quarter inch reach with my index finger very easy to hit the switch.
With a double click of the switch brings the light down to a lower level.
My grip is a thumb forward and when clicking both switches on each side simultaneously the light goes into strobe mode.
My neighbor was outside last night and when I pointed the light at him , ( no it was not mounted on the pistol at that time)
He said he couldn't see anything and couldn't stand to look at the light strobing. At this point I'm very pleased with the purchase.
Disclaimer : I'm not affiliated with this company in any way shape or form.
I'm also not going to mention where I bought it, you can do your own shopping.
Just an average American gun owner that wants to pass along good information. I hope this helps somebody with their decision.
Doc

 

[Doc1500]

I just now found this extensive review on the interweb thought I'd pass it along.
Olight PL-Pro Valkyrie Review – The Flashlight Guy

 

[SchemaEnigma]

Olight was on my short list. It dropped off when I found documentation from the company that the "shelf life" of the fully charged battery was listed as one month.

Compare that to the shelf life of the non-rechargeable batteries: 10 years.

This was a deal breaker for me.

Establish a battery-recharging schedule and use it.

JMO.

 

[Doc1500]

Olight was on my short list. It dropped off when I found documentation from the company that the "shelf life" of the fully charged battery was listed as one month.

Compare that to the shelf life of the non-rechargeable batteries: 10 years.

This was a deal breaker for me.

Establish a battery-recharging schedule and use it.

JMO.

I'm out at my workbench a lot so putting it on the charger periodically is no big deal.
To each his own.
Could you possibly share that information please.

 

[BourbonCowboy]

I'm an Olight fan. I keep a Valkyrie PL-Mini 2 on my Taurus Judge, and BALDR Minis on my HK VP9 and VP9SK. I love em. As for charging, I bought several of the magnetic chargers and keep them in various places: in my truck, in my luggage, on my desk, on my nightstand, etc. No problems so far.

 

[Doc1500]

I emailed Olight and ask them about the shelf life and the lady told me two to three months I asked her for documentation because my life depends on it. I'm waiting on that information.

 

[Rastoff]

Now go to a night class and learn to use that weapon mounted light. I think you might want to re-think having something that bright for defensive use.

 

[Doc1500]

Olight was on my short list. It dropped off when I found documentation from the company that the "shelf life" of the fully charged battery was listed as one month.

Compare that to the shelf life of the non-rechargeable batteries: 10 years.

This was a deal breaker for me.

Establish a battery-recharging schedule and use it.

JMO.

I just got an email from Olight they said they talked to their engineer and he said fully charged shelf life should be 3 months.

 

[SchemaEnigma]

I just got an email from Olight they said they talked to their engineer and he said fully charged shelf life should be 3 months.

Good to know, but still too short for me for a HD gun. Maybe they realized their earlier statement of 1 month was too conservative.

Also, depends on the definition of "shelf life". All rechargeable batteries self-discharge. What is their threshold? How dim will things get within those 3 months.

Non-rechargeables are much more reliable. I'm not worried about the few bucks I might save over the years in having to buy batteries. Worthwhile insurance.

BTW, the other deal-killer for me with the Olight model I was considering was its built-in non-overridable drop down to a low power light in a minute or two. Rumor has it it is to control heat buildup. IDK if that is true, but if it is, that's a poor engineering choice, IMO, and borderline deceptive since the light does not really perform at the advertised lumens.

Does your Olight PL Pro Valkyrie do that? (I wasn't looking at that model - too big for my application.)

I'm not trying to rain on your enthusiasm. Lots of people like Olights. This is just MY reasoning for MY choice.

 

[Rolex28]

I have a Tuxton Tactical holster that has an opening on the underside so I can recharge without taking pistol out of holster...I have a Baldr Mini on my M&P 9mm EZ. therefore I don't have to worry about shelf life..

 

[Mainsail]

I just got an email from Olight they said they talked to their engineer and he said fully charged shelf life should be 3 months.

I would question this.

Shelf life refers to new unused items in storage, assuming proper packaging and storage environment.

As soon as the packaging is open, the shelf life ends and the service life begins.

Service life is a general term for the average or standard life expectancy of an item when it’s in use.

If their "engineer" said the shelf life was 3 months for a battery that you've charged, then he doesn't know what the phrase means.

 

[SchemaEnigma]

I would question this.

Shelf life refers to new unused items in storage, assuming proper packaging and storage environment.

As soon as the packaging is open, the shelf life ends and the service life begins.

Service life is a general term for the average or standard life expectancy of an item when it’s in use.

If their "engineer" said the shelf life was 3 months for a battery that you've charged, then he doesn't know what the phrase means.

I imagine he (or the Olight rep) was trying to answer a customer's question rather than writing a technical manual.

 

[kamloops67]

Now go to a night class and learn to use that weapon mounted light. I think you might want to re-think having something that bright for defensive use.

Maybe it’s time for another “rastoff’s challenge”
only this time it’s in the dark
LOL I’m only half joking , I’d like to try it

 

[Doc1500]

I would question this.

Shelf life refers to new unused items in storage, assuming proper packaging and storage environment.

As soon as the packaging is open, the shelf life ends and the service life begins.

Service life is a general term for the average or standard life expectancy of an item when it’s in use.

If their "engineer" said the shelf life was 3 months for a battery that you've charged, then he doesn't know what the phrase means.

What it means is once you open the package and fully charge it it should be able to sit on the Shelf fully charged for 3 months or sit on your pistol fully charged unused for 3 months. I think that's pretty reasonable. Thanks for all your comments

 

[Doc1500]

Good to know, but still too short for me for a HD gun. Maybe they realized their earlier statement of 1 month was too conservative.

Also, depends on the definition of "shelf life". All rechargeable batteries self-discharge. What is their threshold? How dim will things get within those 3 months.

Non-rechargeables are much more reliable. I'm not worried about the few bucks I might save over the years in having to buy batteries. Worthwhile insurance.

BTW, the other deal-killer for me with the Olight model I was considering was its built-in non-overridable drop down to a low power light in a minute or two. Rumor has it it is to control heat buildup. IDK if that is true, but if it is, that's a poor engineering choice, IMO, and borderline deceptive since the light does not really perform at the advertised lumens.

Does your Olight PL Pro Valkyrie do that? (I wasn't looking at that model - too big for my application.)

I'm not trying to rain on your enthusiasm. Lots of people like Olights. This is just MY reasoning for MY choice.

Sorry but I think you should probably do some research on "high-end " flashlights and how they operate.
That's why so many other wml companies only sell 300 and 400 Lumen flashlights.
You start getting into the high-end emitters and they produce quite a bit of heat, hence the drop-down in lumens.
I've got a flashlight with a three and a half inch lens standing it up on the workbench turn it on high and after 2 minutes I can fry an egg on it.
Oh by the way the olight after 2 minutes drops down to a light level equal to what sure light and Streamlight max out at.
You don't have to believe me do your own research. Have a nice day sir.

 

[Borderboss]

I have a lot of OLight lights for every day carry and kept around the house and the cars. I don't have one on any of my guns because I already had a few Surelights on the guns I wanted lights on before I learned about OLight.

That said, the battery life is outstanding on all of them. I keep a Warrior X Pro in my car and it gets charged once every six months when I think of it. It's never failed and always produced the high output I expect from it even if it hasn't been charged for six months.

The same can be said for the S2R Baton II lights that I keep around the house and my wife's car. Lastly, S1R Baton II lights I carry every day and keep in various bags get charged with the same frequency (six months) and they have never failed when needing them for an extended period.

I would not sweat the life and performance of OLight lights even without charging it for months.

 

[sipowicz]

I’ll stick with my surefire XL300 with CR123s. 10 year shelf life battery for around $1.25 each won’t break me. And I don’t need to worry about them until 2031.

 

[SchemaEnigma]

Sorry but I think you should probably do some research on "high-end " flashlights and how they operate.
That's why so many other wml companies only sell 300 and 400 Lumen flashlights.
You start getting into the high-end emitters and they produce quite a bit of heat, hence the drop-down in lumens.
I've got a flashlight with a three and a half inch lens standing it up on the workbench turn it on high and after 2 minutes I can fry an egg on it.
Oh by the way the olight after 2 minutes drops down to a light level equal to what sure light and Streamlight max out at.
You don't have to believe me do your own research. Have a nice day sir.

I did my own research. In depth research.

And, you're incorrect. Those manufacturers you mention make WMLs in the 1000 lumen class. And they don't turn themselves off, either.

Sorry, but I'd rather buy one from a company that builds and specs the light properly. I was told Olight does this to protect their battery charging electronics. IDK if that is true, but I don't want a light that decides for itself when to switch to dim mode.

 

[VictorLouis]

Now go to a night class and learn to use that weapon mounted light. I think you might want to re-think having something that bright for defensive use.

I was going to ask the OP to shed a bit of light on that subject.
Please, test that indoors and see if the reflection and splash back is overwhelming to your OWN eyes when you aim at something.
Thanks!

 

[Borderboss]

I’ll stick with my surefire XL300 with CR123s. 10 year shelf life battery for around $1.25 each won’t break me. And I don’t need to worry about them until 2031.

Make sure you get your batteries from a reputable source and made by a reputable manufacturer. I've had Surefire CR123 batteries go south much earlier than the date on the package, and the light hadn't been used.